What are people buying?

[Etranger]

...... Sam Underhill - from that bastion of rugby union, Dayton, Ohio - who went to school in Gloucester.)

They've got a club, the Flying Pigs

[ochoin]

Unlike Ireland who for this weekends game are in danger of naming a couple of Irish born men in their team, and England nearly have some English born as well.

So your definition of "nearly" is a mere 22 of the 25-man squad being English-born - actually the most home-grown of all the current Six Nation squads? (The three "overseas" players, all of whose parents moved to the UK when the players themselves were children, are the Vunipola brothers, who both went to school in Wales, and Sam Underhill - from that bastion of rugby union, Dayton, Ohio - who went to school in Gloucester.)

Bit of a fraught issue: nationality & sport.

Related is the story of a rather prominent & elite private school (read "public" for you English types), that regularly cleans up the school boy Rugby comps here. The story goes they offer scholarships to all manner of huge islanders, ignoring their actual ages so they field teams of U17 players in their late 20s.

I'm fairly sure it's not true: which is probably the same of the various tales concerning foreign "ring ins" in international sport. There are rules & if you follow the rules, how can it be dodgy?

https://www.rugbyworld.com/news/rugbys- ... ules-90995

donald

[Etranger]

A few of our best juniors have been able to get scholarships to various GPS schools in Queensland. IIRC a couple even made the Queensland Schools side, which is a nursery for the Wallabies. They definitely come back as better players.

[ochoin]

A few of our best juniors have been able to get scholarships to various GPS schools in Queensland. IIRC a couple even made the Queensland Schools side, which is a nursery for the Wallabies. They definitely come back as better players.

Yes but they weren't in their 20s, as the urban myths go.

And in full disclosure, I have no connection to the elite school I alluded to (though I do have a connection with one of the schools they usually flog) so I think that makes my judgement fairly unbiased.

The standard of Rugby here is pretty good. I often watch a few school boy matches each year (not this year!).

donald

[Shahbahraz]

As long as they don't come back as Queenslanders...

Personally, I'm a bit worried about the game today, as France look like they have the potential to run in a dozen tries, we're still mucking about with yet another pack combination, and the Scottish backs have been rearranged so many times it feels like the shell game.

The England/Ireland game should be a cracker too.

[FreddBloggs]

Unlike Ireland who for this weekends game are in danger of naming a couple of Irish born men in their team, and England nearly have some English born as well.

So your definition of "nearly" is a mere 22 of the 25-man squad being English-born - actually the most home-grown of all the current Six Nation squads? (The three "overseas" players, all of whose parents moved to the UK when the players themselves were children, are the Vunipola brothers, who both went to school in Wales, and Sam Underhill - from that bastion of rugby union, Dayton, Ohio - who went to school in Gloucester.)

That of course ignores the reason so many english born are in the team, like tuilangi, heinz, cokanasigna not being available. I understand italy doing it to raise there game, but it has gotten ridiculous when france do it, england do it, ausyralia do it and new zealand have always done it.

[Etranger]

As long as they don't come back as Queenslanders...

The England/Ireland game should be a cracker too.

Two qualify for England by parentage (& Iceland!)...

The Australia - Argentina game is quite fun, if not up to last week's standards.

[ochoin]

, ausyralia do it and new zealand have always done it.

You're probably talking about islanders - Fijians, Tongans, Samoans?

Really, it's an economic thing. These guys (& their families) move to NZ & OZ for opportunities their wonderful but isolated homes don't offer. Rugby is one of them. I don't see it as any deliberate twisting of the rules but of genuine immigrants who are, not surprisingly, good at the game & want to play at the highest levels. Both Antipodean nations are essentially migrant-countries & national porting teams are stuffed with people born elsewhere....as are the countries in general.

Sport provides opportunities for those not so well educated & whose culture doesn't necessarily value 'book-learning'. Our indigenous boys & girls are often the same.

Charlie Cameron (ET will know whom I'm talking about) was a lovely boy who pretty well hated school but luckily found his niche in professional sport.

donald

[Essex Boy]

What is this ruggerby of which you talk?

[Shahbahraz]

Apparently a game for thigs played by gentlemen*

*may not apply in the professional era.